First Poster for Fifth 'Saw' Faces Certain Facts
Filed under: Horror, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Lionsgate Films, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels, Posters
As someone who's only grown decreasingly fond of the Saw franchise (at least since the second one) and still marvels at the fact that we as a world find ourselves facing the prospect of a fifth (and possibly sixth!) one this coming Halloween and the next, I must attest to being weirdly admirable of how creatively macabre the series' marketing campaigns have been.
Case in point: the first revealed poster for Saw V, included in full after the jump and courtesy of IMP Awards. Following up the magically MPAA-approved acts of amputated limbs, dislodged teeth, and bent fingernails is the face of actor Tobin Bell acting as a mask on another body entirely, in spirit with the films' perpetual acknowledgement that Bell's character, John Kramer/Jigsaw, kinda died at the end of Saw III and sorta went through an autopsy at the beginning of Saw IV.
As Bell remains flaunted and credited in equal measure - as does the similarly deceased Shawnee Smith - I think it's safe to expect A) more flashbacks, a la #4, and B) more exceedingly gruesome demises, a la #1-4. However, at a combined worldwide gross of $553 million to date, it's also safe to say that there are many who'd hope -- who'd pay -- for nothing less.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-28-2008 @ 1:17PM
Peter Hall said...
I'm with you. The franchise is in the pits, has been for a while, but the marketing gurus at Lionsgate have never missed a step.
I love it.
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6-28-2008 @ 1:31PM
djbuhhda said...
umm yey i love this franchise. i have to agree three was pretty bad compared to. 4 but 5 is goin to be awesome.
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6-28-2008 @ 5:17PM
Scott Weinberg said...
As a staunch supporter of this series, even I must admit that the first two are the best of the lot. But there are plenty of other horror flicks out there if this stuff doesn't float your boat. And weren't The Host, The Mist, The Ruins, and Cloverfield "old fashioned monster movies"?
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6-28-2008 @ 8:21PM
dana said...
I'm kind of sorry there were any sequels at all, because no matter how brainlessly entertaining they were, they do nothing to support the fact that Saw is one of the best horror films of the decade, and was actually sort of clever through all the blood. But anyway, you know you have a good marketing campaign when you don't even need your film's title on the poster. Well done.
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6-28-2008 @ 9:16PM
Zach said...
Too bad the movies can't live up to the posters.
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6-29-2008 @ 1:24AM
NvM said...
Imo, it's 1>2>4>3
One wasn't really a good movie either, but it was decent to today's horror standards.
At least it wasn't a gritty remake or a PG-13 ghost/slasher flick.
Plus I haven't predicted a Twist so far, which are more creative than anything M.Knight has done recently.
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6-29-2008 @ 2:01AM
Jordyn said...
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who dislikes this franchise. Everyone acted like the first one was so revolutionary but in reality its just a sick way for us to get our kicks. The series just went downhill from there. Mindless gore is all that really scares or attracts us anymore. I miss old fashioned monster movies.
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6-28-2008 @ 10:00PM
MCW said...
The first Saw was revolutionary, as you can see by how many movies have copied it since its release. The twist ending in Saw I has been untouched, and it may never be, but the movie itself was groundbreaking.
Saw 4 was an amazing return to what the series used to be, and it only served to get me excited for the 5th-20th additions to the series.
Because it is (A): a Horror film with frequent gore, and (B): a Sequel, people like you will be there all along the way (And it looks like even before you've seen the first trailer for it) to call it lame. I'll be there to defend it based on the series' past merits, and for getting me more and more excited that horror filmmaking may not be in the doldrums after all.
It's not mindless gore any more. You should go back and watch Saw 4 and you'll realize that.
6-29-2008 @ 9:05PM
Riley Freeman said...
i have been a hugeeeeeeeeeeee fan of this series. the first was a not amazing but definitely superior tto the horror flicks that have come. then again its not really a horror flick its a psychological thriller.
nevertheless as much as a enjoyed the first one they ruined it once they killed jigsaw he should have never died. I personally think this edition will see a dropoff in sales. i see this dropping to 80million. theres only so much people will keep coming back for. while thats stil a substantial profit since they only make these movies for about 10 million u never wanna see a decline. a 5th and 6th edition is stretching it. butttttttttt if they can bring it back to past glory of the first bunch then im all for a 6th one. otherwise they need to stop at 5 even though i will miss it
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7-03-2008 @ 12:27PM
Rashad Ferguson said...
The Saw franchise does have its flaws but what does not. Overall this is one of the better movie franchises and quite possibly the best this millennium so far. But as often the case when you are in the midst of something you fail to appreciate for what it is.
Saw lives…. Rock on!
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